I was in and out of sleep all night, confused about where I was, worried about Ally. At one point I could have sworn that Annie chick snuck into my room and took a picture of me with her phone, but I hoped it was just a dream. I finally woke up for good at ten, got dressed in my jeans and a T-shirt Ally’s mom had left for me, and then basically hid out in the guest room all morning. Every now and then a door would open and close. I heard Ally’s mom whispering to Shannen’s mom at some point, and around eleven someone brewed coffee downstairs, making the whole house smell like work. A few minutes after that, Annie left, even though Ally’s mom kind of begged her to stay. That conversation was full-volume and Annie did not sound happy. Finally I thought I heard Ally’s door open and my heart skipped. I peeked out into the hallway just in time to see her slip into the bathroom at the other end.She took a fifteen-minute-long shower, then went back to her room. I watched the clock, waited five minutes—long enough for her to get dressed—then rushed over to her room. My pulse pounding in my ears, I knocked quietly on her door.Nothing.I knocked again. A second later, it opened a crack. Her hair was wet and combed back from her face. I could only see one eye.“Hey,” I said.“Hey.”“Can I come in? Just for a sec?” I asked.She cleared her throat and stepped back. “Sure.”As I walked inside, she turned around and headed for the end of the bed. Then she paused and turned to face me. She was wearing her Orchard Hill basketball T-shirt and sweatpants and she looked tired, but beautiful. I had no idea where to start. For a long moment we just stood there, looking at each other. Ally toyed with her fingers. I shoved my hands under my arms.“So are you, like, with Chloe?” she blurted all of a sudden.“No,” I said. “No. Definitely not. We just—it was one time. One . . . thing. And it didn’t matter. It was stupid. But we’re definitely not together. We haven’t even talked since we—”I didn’t have time to finish my sentence because Ally closed the space between us and kissed me. Pure relief rushed through me, cooling me from the inside out. I pulled her toward me and held her as close to me as I possibly could. Her mouth tasted minty and clean, like she’d spent that entire fifteen minutes in the bathroom brushing her teeth.Finally she pulled away. She rested her forehead on my chest and looked down. All I could see was her wet hair.“I missed you so much,” she breathed.I tilted my head back and put my hands on her shoulders. I could hardly believe this was happening. I was finally getting to touch her. To kiss her. It was all happening. “I missed you, too.”She turned so that the side of her face was against my chest, and wrapped her arms around me tight. “Thanks for last night. Shannen told me what you did.”“She did?” I asked, running my hand over her hair. “When?”“This morning. Before she left to meet Charlie for breakfast,” she said.“Oh.” It was all I could think to say. Shannen was helping me out with Ally now? What the hell had gone on down here this summer? But then I realized, it didn’t matter. I’d decided something last night. Something important. And it was time to man up. I cleared my throat and pushed her away gently, holding her at arm’s length.“There’s something I have to say,” I said seriously, looking her in the eye.She smiled. “Oookay.” She was mocking me—mocking my tone—but I didn’t care.“Okay. Here it is. I love you,” I said. “And I never, ever wanted to hurt you. It’s, like, the number one thing I never want to do, but somehow, I keep doing it. And I’m sorry. I just . . . that’s all I wanted to say all this time. All I was trying to do . . . with that thing with your dad, not telling you . . . was not hurt you. And I’m sorry that I did.”Ally stared at me.“And I’m sorry that I did it again. With the Chloe thing. Which was stupid. Like, really, really stupid. And I—”“Can you just stop, for a second?” Ally said, holding up a hand.“What?” I said.“Can you say the first part again?” she asked, rolling her fingers around for a rewind.I racked my brain.“Um . . . I love you?” I said.“That’s the part. Cuz I love you, too.”And then she smiled. A slow, happy, blissful, perfect smile. I leaned in to kiss her, and for the first time all summer, everything was right.

Daily Field Journal of Annie Johnston Friday, August 13Position: CVS (God, I feel like I’m ALWAYS here).Cover: None. This is my life.Observations:11:57 p.m.: The place is dead when the doors slide open and Subject Chloe Appleby walks in. Uniform: oversize OHH T-shirt, gray sweats, rubber flip-flops, messy ponytail, sunglasses, baseball cap. (Note: See time stamp. Assessment: Someone’s undercover.) Subject Chloe walks slowly down the makeup aisle. She picks up CoverGirl powder, puts it down. Inspects a Neutrogena lip gloss, puts it down. (Assessment: She’s not really shopping. Girl would never let drugstore cosmetics near her perfect self.)12:01 a.m.: Technically we’re supposed to be closing, but my manager has a strict policy against kicking anyone out.12:05 a.m.: Subject Chloe finally arrives at the back of the store. Where, as has been established, the condoms live. Suddenly, I am very awake and happy behind the counter.12:06 a.m.: Subject Chloe speed walks toward the front of the store. She emerges from the end of the aisle, a box tucked under her arm. All I can see is that the packaging is white. (Query: Which condoms have white packaging? Note: Check that later.) She sees me and freezes. Her skin, behind those sunglasses, goes frighteningly pale. And then, before I can even think of a quip, she turns and sprints out the door. The alarms go off. My manager runs up from the back. Subject Chloe’s car zooms out of the parking lot.Manager: Did you see that girl? Do you know her?My mouth just kind of hangs open. (Note: I could get Chloe Appleby arrested right now. The knowledge of this, the sheer power, makes me heady with glee.)Manager: Annie? What did she take? Does she go to your school?And then, I hear myself say it.Me: I’ve never seen her before in my life.(Assessment: I need my head examined.)

And suddenly I was packing again. Packing to move in with Gray and Quinn. We’d been home for just over a week, and already I’d picked out my very own room in the Nathanson house. It had a window seat and built-in bookcases and a king-size bed, but I still hated it. I was trying not to, but I did. I just could not wrap my brain around how this was going to work. Living with Gray. Living with Quinn. All of us eating dinner together and spending weekends together and holidays and birthdays and the wedding.Ugh. The wedding.I picked up a framed photograph from the day my parents had renewed their vows at the shore. My eyes prickled with hot tears and I clenched my teeth. Before I could start blubbering, I wrapped it up in newspaper and shoved it into the bottom of a box.It’s over, Ally. Get used to it.Out in the living room, my mother and Gray laughed, and my shoulder muscles curled. At least Gray’s house was huge and my room was as far away from theirs as it could get. One of its biggest selling points.My cell phone beeped and I lunged for it, hoping it was Annie. She hadn’t returned my calls or texts since that night at the shore, and I’d been too chicken to go to CVS and corner her. I guess whatever I said to her that night on the beach had been pretty bad. But still, from everything I’d heard from Jake and Shannen, things might have been a lot worse if she hadn’t been there for me. Why would she save my ass if she was so mad at me? Was this a temporary freeze out, or were we really not friends anymore?The text was from Shannen. She was packing too. She and her mom were moving into the condos, three doors down from the one we were vacating. The whole thing was so ironic it made both of us want to vomit on an hourly basis.Found old bball jersey of urs. Want it?I texted back.Def. Gotta walkin closet now.

LOL. F U. :PI laughed and dropped the phone back on my bed. Tomorrow I would track Annie down at work. This could not go on. She’d said some mean things to me that night too, but I was willing to forgive and forget. Maybe she would be too.The doorbell rang and my heart pitter-pattered happily. Jake was here. For a real date. Our first since Shannen’s party. Who knew that all I needed to trust him again was for him to drive to the shore, save me from getting arrested, and tell me he loved me?My stupid heart was a very silly thing.I had decided not to ask him about the Chloe thing, not to know how far they’d gone or where or when or how. In my mind they had only kissed and nothing more. And they were both drunk. And sad over losing me and Hammond. Maybe Jake was actually passed out and Chloe had just taken advantage. That was the version I liked best.When I opened the door, he was standing there all smiles.“Hey,” I said.“Hey.”I smiled. He smiled back. Just standing there, all goofy like that, made my heart full.“So where’re we going?” he asked.“Nowhere you can’t walk to!” my mother shouted from the kitchen.I gritted my teeth. “I’m still grounded, but my mother said we could go out as long as we don’t take your car.”“Oh.” He knocked his fists together. “Pizza?”“Pizza’s good,” I replied, reaching for his hand as I stepped outside. “We’re walking to Stanzione’s!” I shouted.I tugged Jake down the stairs toward the parking lot. He looked over his shoulder at my mom and Gray, and waved.“Good to see you, Mrs. Ryan . . . Dr. Nathanson.”“Have her home by eleven, Jake,” Gray said.I felt warm all over and had to bite back a retort. Something about him not being my father, not making the rules. Yeah. Living with him was going to be interesting. But as the door closed, I vowed not to think about it. Not tonight. I would not let Gray Nathanson ruin this. I swung Jake’s hand back and forth as we crossed the parking lot.“What are you so smiley about?” Jake asked, grinning as well.“Just happy to see you,” I told him.“Do you realize when you move, I’ll be able to get to you in two and a half minutes? I timed it.”Wow. Could he be any cuter? I leaned my head against his shoulder as we passed by the Orchard View Condominiums sign. “Thanks,” I said.He squeezed my hand. “For what?”“For being the one good thing about moving back to the crest.”